1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to the field of apparel and, more particularly, to cold-weather hand coverings like a glove having a selectively shaped insulating barrier that is removably inserted into the hand coverings to selectively control heat conduction from the hand coverings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the prior art to provide pouch-like pockets on the surface of gloves or mittens to provide an external source of heat for warming the hand in cold weather environments. Such prior art devices are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,970,081 (Eisendrath), in U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,671 (Monk) and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,579 (Dunford). Such devices, however, require periodic replenishment of the fuel or power for the external source of heat.
The glove disclosed herein obviates the need for replenishment of the fuel or power for the external heat source by employing a heat-insulating barrier—instead of a heat source—having thermal characteristics that are tailored to substantially reduce the conduction of heat away from the back side of the hand.